Monday, March 19, 2007

Tucson, AZ - As the weather warmed up and most of the state were enjoying a weekend of sunshine, 631 scholastic chess players stayed indoors to compete in the 2007 State Scholastic Chess Championships. A total of 2100 chess games were played as players ranging from pre-kindergarten to high school senior competed for the official state title. The chess tournament is an annual event that rotates throughout the state from year to year. This year the Southern Arizona Chess Association hosted the event at the Double Tree Inn, in Tucson.

The tournament, which started on March 17, is a 7-round (6 rounds in high school) event that takes two days to complete. Players are separated into sections based on grade: K-1, K-3, K-5, K-6, K-9, and High School. In order to compete in the event players had to qualify at a regional qualifier tournament. The regional tournaments, held between late January and early March, had schools from as far north as Kayenta and as far south as Nogales participate in hopes of qualifying players for the State Championship. For some, just making it to the State Championships is an accomplishment, for others it’s the next step in their quest for the state title.

Additionally, as the high school champion, Christopher De Sa will represent Arizona in the Denker Tournament of Champions to be held in conjunction with the US Open this August in New Jersery. Jenelle Wallace, the highest finishing female player, will represent Arizona in the Susan Polgar Invitational Tournament, also held at the US Open.